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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29243037">dancing without definite steps</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/leias_left_hair_bun/pseuds/leias_left_hair_bun'>leias_left_hair_bun</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Republic Commando Series - Karen Traviss, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, but mostly it's just a'den being the actual sweetheart we all know he is (:, just a'den being his sweet smol self, plus confused single dad kal trying to keep up with six small and energetic boys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:35:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,523</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29243037</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/leias_left_hair_bun/pseuds/leias_left_hair_bun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>where the rest of the null arcs march like proper soldiers ought, a’den dances</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>dancing without definite steps</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>so @chimeowrical on tumblr (y'all should go check her out!! her art is phenomenal!!) made <a href="https://chimeowrical.tumblr.com/post/636435538674647040/not-sure-how-many-of-yall-have-read-the-republic">this absolutely adorable art</a> of kal skirata and the little nulls, and as soon as i found out it was a’den doing the happy jig, i knew i had to figure out a way to write a lil’ something about it (’:<br/>oh and this is set like. just a couple weeks after kal adopts the nulls, so they aren’t really calling him kal’buir yet</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">The little Nulls have been trained to march in a neat, orderly line, and for the most part, they do so. But now and then, Kal thinks he sees a skip in A’den’s step.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">It’s especially obvious today. Perhaps it’s because the boy is finally comfortable enough to come out of his shell - or at least Kal hopes he is. It’s difficult to gage the extent of the damage the long-necks have already done to these children’s psyches. If the way A’den is discreetly bouncing on his toes is any indiction, though, he’s happy enough now.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What are you thinking about, son?” Kal asks, smiling down at the child.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">A’den shrugs. “Things.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He reaches for another glass, wiping it down with his dishcloth. Once the glass is dry, he reaches for another, only to have Mereel snatch the last one away and start drying it himself. A’den pouts and Kal gently takes the cloth out of his hand, lifting the child off of his stool and setting him on the floor.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Good things, I hope?” he tries again.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I s’pose so,” A’den says, tilting his head. “Kal, is it unnormal to be happy when - when there’s no reason?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Abnormal,” Ordo corrects him. “Right, Kal?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Right.” Kal pats A’den’s head. “That’s a tricky word. And no, it’s not abnormal, A’den. It’s good to be able to find happiness no matter what the circumstance.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">A’den blinks at him.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Situation,” Kal tries. “Er - happiness isn’t tied to situations, or people, or things. Those things can make you happy, right?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He hopes he isn’t confusing the child. A’den nods slowly.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“My brothers make me happy. And <em>uj </em>cake makes me happy. And when the sun comes out I’m happy.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Right! Those are all things that can make us feel happiness. But we can also feel it when we don’t have those things around.” Kal paused. “It’s a good thing, to feel happy for no reason. It means we have so many things to be happy about that the feeling is strong enough to stay with us even when those things aren’t around to create it.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“We’re around,” Kom’rk points out, and Kal laughs, reaching over to ruffle his hair.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“That’s true, your brothers <em>are</em> right here.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">A’den smiles, wrinkling his nose at Kom’rk. “Yes, but they aren’t doing anything to make me happy. I’m just happy!”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">And with that declaration, he does a little skip in place before catching Prudii’s bewildered expression and stopping abruptly, visibly shrinking in on himself. Now that just won’t do, Kal thinks.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Do you boys like to listen to music?” he asks.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The question seems to catch them by surprise. Ordo stares at him and the rest of the Nulls stare at Ordo. There’s a long moment in which Kal finally realizes they’re just not going to answer.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Okay,” he says. “Let’s find out.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He leads them to the sitting room, and while the boys clamber onto the couch, he fiddles with the transmitter. It takes a few minutes, not to mention several close calls with channels that <em>definitely</em> do not have children as their target audience, but eventually he finds a channel that’s playing some upbeat dance song. It’s not entirely to his taste, maybe, but it’s at least safe and will suit his purposes well enough.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Alright, lads,” Kal says. “This is the stuff other kids are listening to, I think. Tell me if you want something different.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Taking his datapad from the table, he takes a seat and begins to work, keeping an eye on his Nulls and especially A’den.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">For the most part, they don’t really react at first. Ordo sits perfectly still, a sight crease on his forehead as he listens intently. Mereel and Jaing start talking quietly to each other, much to Kom’rk’s visible annoyance, and Prudii just swings his legs absent-mindedly and entirely off-beat. A’den, however, starts tipping his head back and forth to the beat right away, and soon, he’s bouncing a little in his seat.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Smiling to himself, Kal watches him until the next song starts and A’den starts bouncing with more enthusiasm. He bounces hard enough to bounce Prudii as well, and Prudii scoots away from him with a disgruntled expression.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Do you want to dance, A’den?” Kal asks. “You can.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">A’den stops short and looks at him with wide eyes. “How do I do that?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">That’s a good question that Kal doesn’t have a good answer to. “Well, you just move around to the music.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">A’den tilts his head.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Here,” Kal says and stands, setting the datapad aside. “I’ll dance with you.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Beaming, A’den slides off the couch and hurries over to Kal, taking his outstretched hands. There’s a brief moment where Kal realizes he doesn’t really know how to do this, especially when he has to bend down a little to reach A’den’s hands, but luckily the child doesn’t seem to care. He just lets Kal swing him gently back and forth, grinning happily and hopping from foot to foot.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Can I dance, too?” Kom’rk asks.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“‘Course! All of you can, if you want to,” Kal says.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kom’rk looks at Prudii, who looks at Ordo, who nods gravely, and the three boys slide off the couch and join in on the impromptu dance party. It’s good, Kal thinks, to watch them relax, the rigid lines of their small shoulders melting as they give in to the beat of the music.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">After that, it’s not long before Mereel and Jaing get off the couch and start dancing, too. Mereel especially seems to have a natural sense of rhythm, while Jaing and Prudii apparently just want to jump up and down in place. Kom’rk and Ordo take each other’s hands to dance like Kal and A’den, albeit more energetically and with a fair amount of play-wrestling involved. The longer the Nulls dance, the wider their smiles grow, and by the end of the sixth song, they’re giggling and trying to sing along without knowing any of the lyrics, some of which aren’t even in Basic.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Around the eighth song, Kal’s back starts to hurt.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I like this song!” A’den says, blissfully unaware of Kal’s current predicament.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“It’s a good one,” Kal agrees. “Er - do you want to dance on your own for a bit, son?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">A’den’s face falls and Kal immediately wishes he hadn’t said anything. He’s stood worse than a little back pain.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Or not, I just thought I’d make sure,” he says quickly, grasping A’den’s hands tighter.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’d rather dance with you,” A’den says, perking up again, and Kal groans inwardly.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">At this point, A’den is skipping and kicking to the music and showing no signs of slowing down. Kal tries to think how long it’s been since he had to keep up with such young children; he’s forgotten how much it takes to exhaust them.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Four songs later, the chrono finally chimes and Kal lets go of A’den’s hands, whistling for attention.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Bedtime, lads,” he says, steeling himself against the chorus of “awww’s” that follow the declaration.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The response is good, actually, he thinks as he turns the transmitter off. It’s encouraging to see them acting and thinking like normal kids.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Can we dance again tomorrow?” Mereel asks.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Yes please, can we, Kal?” Prudii adds.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kal tries not to notice how his back protests that. “We can do it anytime you boys like.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Yay!” A’den cheers and bounds over to the sofa to help his brothers drag the cushions off. “I like dancing. It makes me happy.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Later, after his Nulls are all tucked in and Kal is settled in his chair and has just closed his eyes, he feels a touch at his knee.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">It’s A’den, looking up at him with large, earnest eyes.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What is it, son? Bad dream already?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“No.” A’den leans his cheek against Kal’s leg. “Thought of something else.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I see.” Warmth blooms in Kal’s chest and he strokes A’den’s hair tenderly. “Want to tell me what it is?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Something that makes me happy,” A’den says, pressing his face further into Kal’s trousers. He stays like that for a moment before whipping his head up, forcing Kal to jerk his hand away. “<em>You</em> make me happy, Kal’buir.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1"><em>Kal’buir</em>? This is the first time he’s heard the word from any of his Nulls other than Ordo. Kal doesn’t bother to blink back the tears that spring to his eyes.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“You make me happy too, A’den.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“And dancing,” A’den adds. “Are we <em>really</em> going to dance again tomorrow?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“As long as nothing comes up, yes.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Do <em>you</em> like to dance?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Yes, but it’s bedtime now, son.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">This is a line of questioning that could go on forever; Kal’s had plenty enough experience with his own children to know that. A’den sighs, nods, and then bonks Kal’s knee with his forehead. It’s not really a <em>mirshmure’cya</em>, however, underneath his amusement at the gesture, Kal can’t help but see the similarities.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">A’den skips back to the cushions and Kal settles into his chair with a contented smile. Turns out the skip in A’den’s step is more pronounced than Kal had thought, and he couldn’t be happier about it.</p>
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